As one of the only houses in Spain producing single-vineyard sherry and with a pedigree stretching back to the 13th century, Valdespino’s reputation for unique, complex sherry is well-earned. Cultivating the famed Macharnudo vineyard – a high altitude plot of pure albariza soil – Valdespino’s sherry is deeply expressive of place and history. Now a part of the esteemed Grupo Estévez (Marqués del Real Tesoro and La Guita), Valdespino is rightly known as the high watermark for sherry production.
CLIMATE: Warm southern climate with Atlantic influence; average annual temperature 68°F (18°C)
ELEVATION: 443 feet(135m)
SOILS: Albariza–calciumcarbonate,clayand silicaandsubsoilchalklayer
CLASS: DOJerez-Xérès-Sherry
Valdespino is one of the oldest wineries in Jerez, with an origin that reaches back to the 13th century. For his service in the Reconquest of Jerez de la Frontera, Don Alfonso Valdespino was granted lands and estates where he began cultivating vines. The estate as we know it today was incorporated in 1875. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Valdespino earned international acclaim, becoming exclusive supplier of Spanish and Swedish royal families. In 1999, Valdespino was acquired by the Estévez family, owners of the La Guita and Marqués del Real Tesoro wineries.
VINE: 692 acres (280 ha) in total; 49 acres (20 ha) are GPE-approved
KEY VARIETALS: Palomino Fino
ECO: 20 acres (8 ha) of certified organic vineyard
INNOVATE: One of the only wineries in Jerez still making single-vineyard and barrel-fermented wines
Now in its second generation of Estévez ownership, Valdespino remains a family winery. The technical team (which, it should be noted, is a majority women) consists of11people,ofwhichninearewinemakers.
Growing up in a family that loved sherry and inspired by her grandfather who worked in a winery in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Director of Winemaking Victoria Frutos pursued degrees in agricultural engineering and enology and a master’s in agri-food quality control. She hasbeenworkingforJoséEstévezsince2005.
Winemaker: VictoriaFrutos
Valdespino has 20 acres (8 ha) of certified organic vineyards. Treatments are kept to a minimum as Palomino is disease-resistant, and climate conditions keep vines healthy.
Jerez’s southern climate is shaped by the influence of the Atlantic Ocean. The westerly wind brings ocean humidity, watering the vineyard during the early morning. Average annual rainfall is 24 inches andconcentratedbetweenOctoberandMay.
Macharnudo is arguably Jerez’s greatest vineyard. Its privileged position on a line of hills has a southwest orientation on a 10% slope to take advantage of the cooler western winds and protect itfromthewarmeasterlywinds.
The soil of the vineyard is the archetype of the typical albariza, rich in calcium carbonate (containing up to 40%), clay and silica. Thanks to its high levels of calcium carbonate, its clay texture does not crack. It absorbs rain like a sponge. Then, because of the high heat, the soil forms a crust as it driesthatpowerfullylimitsevaporation.
MACHARNUDO Valdespino is one of the only Sherry Houses in Spain to make wines from a single vineyard. Vines have been grown in Macharnudo Alto since the 13th century, and Valdespino was well-known for its exceptional qualities by the 19thcentury.Today,thisvineyardistheexclusivesourceforMacharnudoBarrelFermented,FinoInocente,AmontilladoTio Diego,PaloCortadoCPandPaloCortadoCardenal.
EXCEPTIONAL WINEMAKING AND AGING Torespecttraditionandtheuniquecharacteroftheirgrapes,Valdespinogoes above and beyond in all phases of production. For example, in contrast to most houses in Jerez who ferment in stainless steel and inoculate the flor (yeast veil) to influence final style, Valdespino wines are barrel-fermented in reused oak barrels andallowedtofollowtheirnaturalcourse.
While DO regulations require a fino sherry to age a minimum of two years, Valdespino’s Fino Inocente, which has 10 criaderas, has an average of 10 years under the flor. The additional aging gives the wines a complexity and texture that standapartfromanyotherfinointhefield.AmontilladoTioDiegoalsohasanexceptionalaverageageof17years.
In 2015, Valdespino first produced a still white wine from the Palomino in Macharnudo as an experiment. Today, Macharnudo Barrel Fermented is a part of their single-vineyard bottlings, and carries the minerality and salinity that this pago is noted for.
How is the terroir reflected in the wines of Valdespino?
The calcium carbonate in the Albariza soils of Macharnudo produce very mineral wines. They are savoryandsalinewithlongpersistence.
AnotherkeypartofValdespino’scharacterisfromits velo de flor. Composed of yeasts inherent in the atmosphere and impregnated in the barrels, the product is unique to the conditions of the winery. The character that these factors confer on the fino and amontillado is unmistakable. This velo Inocente to spend up to 10 years being influenced by it. This long biological aging process allows Valdespino to create Amontillado Tio Diego without adding alcohol to provokethetransitiontooxidativeaging.Eventually,the
velo dies from lack of nutrients, allowing the oxidative phasetoinitiatenaturally.
Fino Inocente from the Macharnudo pago is the only Fino still fermented in 500 L oak barrels, instead of the usual large-capacity stainless steel tanks. It is also one of the only wines that has 10 criaderas, instead of the twoorthreethatotherwineriescurrentlyhave
Why is Valdespino a Grandes Pagos
VALDESPINO PORTFOLIO:
Fino Inocente, Amontillado Tio Diego, Palo Cortado Viejo CP, Palo Cortado Cardenal V.O.R.S.
Fino Inocente
DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Varieties
100% Palomino Fino
Vinification
Fermentation in oak barrels. Biological aging, average 10 years
Good to Know
Passes through 10 criaderas and one solera
Amontillado Tio Diego
DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Varieties
100% Palomino Fino
Vinification
Fermentation in oak barrels. Biological and oxidative aging, average age is 17 years
Good to Know
Passes through 8 biological criaderas, 2 oxidative criaderas and one oxidative solera. No second fortification to stop biological aging
Ctra. N IV Km 640 11408 Jerez de la Frontera Cádiz
Contacts: Jaime Gil, Pilar García jgm@grupoestevez.com pgm@grupoestevez.com